If you have ever listened to an interview style podcast you may have noticed when the guest is prepared and when they are not as prepared. In this article, Leslie Smith provides six tips to make the most of your podcast appearance.

Podcasts. Do you listen to them? Watch them? Have you hosted one? Been featured on one? Podcasts are a great way to share information in-depth. A podcast is like an online talk show. Some are audio alone, like a radio show, and some also include video. If you are thinking of hosting a podcast on a regular basis, you might want to be a guest on a podcast first to see how things are run. When you make that first appearance, you want to be prepared.

Here are six tips to help you plan a podcast appearance:

1) Is the podcast audio alone or video too?

Of course, you always want to look professional, but knowing whether you will appear on camera or will solely be broadcast through a microphone might help you coordinate an appropriate look.

2) Wear clothing that mirrors your clients.

If you have a service that corporate America is drawn to, then wear a suit. If you are an artist, then a suit is probably really awful for you and you might be more comfortable in something more casual. Clothing is an extension of your personal brand. As fashion consultant Tim Gunn says, “Make it work!”

3) Know your stuff!

This is important because you are going to be talking for 20 minutes or longer. Practice answering questions about yourself or your company/organization in multiple ways. Questions might come at you with phrasing you aren’t anticipating.

4) Have more material ready than you think you’ll need.

You can’t completely control in what direction your host might take the conversation. Have a few topics in your pocket in case you have extra time to fill.

5) Use memorable facts that make an impact.

Wow the listeners with interesting tidbits they can remember.

6) Simplify your message.

If you have a huge amount of information, it can be overwhelming and hard to digest. Try to simplify your message into steps that you can easily explain.

When completed, post the podcast on your website, on LinkedIn, and promote it in all your social media platforms. Have fun and learn from your experience. Every appearance will be better than the last.